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Thursday, 28 April 2011

Car movies aren’t just for boys you know. Case and point, the entire Fast and the Furious franchise. Sure, the plots may centre around guys, and the drama is all about cars, and building cars, and stealing cars, and wrecking cars, and racing cars, but these movies have some pretty good fashion moments (as well as some horrible ones…)

The first movie is full of fashion no-nos. The biggest one is that the majority of the main characters run around in wife-beater tank tops, all the time. They’re always dirty, they’re obviously not classy, the worst part is that one of them not only wears a wife-beater, he combines it with a MESH wife-beater. That’s right, I’m not kidding. I honestly feel sorry for the guy, because he looks nothing less than ridiculous. The only fashion-do that is made in this movie is that the protagonist, Brian, wears Converse the entire movie. You all know how I feel about Chucks, so there’s no need for words.

see the guy in the back row far left?
yeahhhh that's mesh >_<

Eva loves her neutrals

2 Fast 2 Furious definitely kicks it up to second gear though (yes car puns, I know I’m a horrible person), since they introduce a proper female character who’s not just there as a sex object. Well, Eva Mendes is most well known for her physique, and she does show it off in the movie quite a bit (scene: tanning pool-side in a Bond-esque white bikini), but she has some gorgeous outfits in the film. Unfortunately since this is a “guy movie,” and it’s a bit older, it’s pretty difficult to find proper information on what she’s wearing in the film (read: impossible). But I’ve scooped up a bunch of photos of her outfits, and maybe you can tell me who designed them!

totally should have been a Bond girl!

love this dress!
(and the death glare of course)

The 5th (and hopefully last) installment of the series is coming out this Friday, and I’m hoping that the producers included a decent cut for the wardrobe department. But if they’ve spent it all on fast cars, and big explosions, I guess that’s okay too. Of course, there’s eye-candy already guaranteed (yum Paul Walker)!

Tuesday, 26 April 2011

Thanks Einstein, you couldn’t be more right. There are a lot of stupid people I know. In fact, most days I feel like I’m surrounded. By dumbasses. Shoot me now…

Some people just never learn, do they? Is it that they physically lack an adequate amount of brain cells to function in the real world, or is it a problem that can be corrected? In today’s post, I’ll explore some of the issues of sheer human stupidity that I see in everyday life, and maybe we’ll find some answers.

In my experience, the main problem is that people don’t listen. This is referred to as “selective hearing,” as dubbed by my mother in reference to my father. Of course, he’s usually listening at the moment of conversation, but if the information isn’t directly related to him then it’s quickly forgotten. I thought that because of my father’s selective hearing problem, and my mother’s seemingly flawless memory, that the phenomenon was confined to the male sex. This was a possibility, but without more examples my case was not solidly proven. So I decided to quietly start testing those around me to see what they remembered of my ramblings. I really shouldn’t have been surprised that the majority of people failed my tests. Turns out that the miniscule details of my life aren’t all that interesting to most people (which is actually reassuring when it comes to potential stalkers). In reality, We all engage in selective hearing, not because we’re stupid, but because deep down, we’re all self-absorbed jerks and are more concerned with our own lives that the lives of others.

Another major problem that is leads to stupidity is sheer stubbornness. We all know that it was an infallible sense of self-confidence combined with a good dose of desperation (which in this case can be viewed as just plain stupidity) that led Hitler to invade Russia in a very similar manner to Napolean Bonaparte. Obviously the results were the same; Germany: 0, Russian winter: 1. Seriously, just because you have more armed troops and more technology does not mean that you can overcome the basic force of Nature. Russia is fucking cold, and fucking big. Don’t mess with it, because you’ll lose every time. On a much smaller scale, stubbornness often produces the same results. Just because it’s today, and not yesterday, does not mean that the results are going to be any different. I’m talking to you, boys who don’t take “no” for an answer. If she’s said “no” in the past, and nothing has really changed, then chances are she’s going to keep saying “no!” Confidence can only get you so far, and your continual selective hearing isn’t going to get you the girl in the end, it’s just going to make you look like a desperate fool.

The young, and the old; opposite ends of the age spectrum, yet identical in their lack of thought process! Both parties feel that their opinions are infallible, and their mutual mantra is an ever-repeating “I’m RIGHT, so listen to me!” Yet, in both cases, they are rarely actually right in the true sense of the word. The young feel that their ideas are so fresh, so new, that there’s just no way that they could possibly be wrong. The confidence of youth will be their downfall. Jumping off that bridge isn’t really the best idea. The aged feel that their experience has earned them the right to be in power. The unchanging façade of the elderly will lead to their demise. The young refuse to look to the past, and the old refuse to look at the future, so neither party realizes that true wisdom comes from carefully combining experience and ingenuity. And after all, an opinion is an opinion, not a fact, and it should not be treated as such.

Some people really are just stupid though. I won’t name any real-people names, but it is obvious in some cases that we only utilize a small portion of our available grey matter at any given time. New scientific research has shown that we can access 100% of our brain (though not all at once, since different parts of the brain are used for different functions), so really what’s the excuse for not using it? Do people just not care to exercise our their vital muscle, or are some people real life Michael Kelsos? I’m pretty sure that some people just can’t be taught, so don’t waste your time trying. Do as I do, and just walk away, possibly muttering “dumbass” under your breath.

Thursday, 21 April 2011

As many of you already know I’ve acquired way too much nail polish this year. Thankfully I haven’t bought most of it for myself, but my friends all seem to think it’s a good idea to get me more nail polish… I’m kind of weird about colour (always have been), so buying my nail polish is not the brightest idea, since my colour-neuroses definitely applies. Not that I don’t love the majority of the colours that were bought for me, I’m just saying that nail polish is something (like shoes) that I should buy on my own. Unless I want a specific colour. Then it’s totally allowed!

mmm holo-glitter!

The polish-trend began at Christmas, with one of my best friends, Aina. She’s allowed to buy me polish because she knows me better than almost anyone, and knows what colours I j’adore and which I despise. She also used to work in a salon, so she got the polishes for super cheap (yay staff discounts!). The first two she bought me were from the OPI Designer Series and the Burlesque Collection (“Design” and “Ali’s Big Break” respectively). I immediately liked Ali’s Big Break, since I rather like reds (especially with glitter), but I was quickly brought back down to Earth when I tried it out, and the colour didn’t look the way it did in the bottle. Even after 4 coats I wasn’t liking the results. It’s just a bit too sheer, and the glitter is too fine for it to really make a statement. Design, on the other hand I loved from the beginning, and it’s still one of my favourite polishes. It doesn’t look like much, but when it hits the light the holographic rainbow in the glitter appears! A single coat gives a subtle layer of sparkles (even overtop of other solid colours – I experimented with Design and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear “Blue It” with decent results), and the more layers you add the more intense the holo gets! I’m kind of dreading the day when I run out of this colour, since OPI doesn’t seem to make it anymore L For my birthday Aina got me more polish, but this time they were OPI minis from the Katy Perry Collection. They’re all ridiculously glittery, so I’m pretty excited to try them all! Oh, and she got me Nail Envy, because my nails break allllll the time :(

The next set of polishes I got were from Icing, and they were totally an impulse buy. I was shopping with Mel and Nicole for nail polish for Taryn’s birthday (between the three of us and Kirsten we got her 21 polishes since she was turning 21), when I spotted their neon glow from the clearance rack, and I just had to buy them. $2 for 5 polishes is a steal, so even if some of the colours weren’t to my taste (ugh orange…) it was totally worth it! So far I’ve used the green and the purple, and they’re both super cute (if a bit blinding), but sadly the pink is dried up, and can’t be revived even with a few drops of nail polish remover. Not too sure if I’ll ever try the yellow, but maybe, since it will be summer soon.

look at all that glitter!!!

These polishes I got whilst shopping on my birthday with Aina and Taryn. More lovelies from the clearance rack at Icing, and some from the clearance bin at Chatters (woot for sales!). I was rather intrigued by the idea of matte polishes, and I liked the colours that Icing had (the silver, and purple), so I picked a few up. I tried the purple out the other day and was pleased with the results, though it took a long time to dry, and it was really easily smudged and ruined. “Smoke Screen” from Icing is also super gorgeous on, since it’s a black that’s packed with superfine glitter. You can’t really see the glitter in the bottle from the pictures, or really on your nails, but it softens the black so that it’s not so… black. The other two are from China Glaze, and of course they’re more sparklies. Everyone knows I get distracted by anything that sparkles, so it’s not really a surprise that I picked the most glittery green and blue EVER. I love the minty-ness of “Mistletoe Kisses,” and “Midnight Mission” is seriously the most perfect sparkly blue that I’ve been looking for for ages. Can’t wait to try both of them out! Side note: is it just me or are the Icing and China Glaze bottle almost exactly the same? The CG bottles have a raised logo on the top, and the glass is a bit thicker, but they look pretty much the same… WEIRD!

Set #4 is from Kirsten aka as Glittagloves on the interwebs. It really shouldn’t have surprised me that she got me polish for my bday, but for some reason it really did. This set is part of the China Glaze Anchors Away Collection, and at first glance I was not overly impressed. I’m still really not liking “Life Preserver” since I can’t stand orange, but “White Cap” has definitely grown on me. I mean, how could I not love it, it’s sparkly! Not sure how I feel about “First Mate” since the colour seems very flat, even though I j’adore blues, or “Ahoy!” since it’s mauve. First Mate could totally work if I combined it with OPI’s “Last Friday Night,” since the sheer glitter might be just enough to give it some personality. Hmm experimenting!

China Glaze: Life Preserver, Ahoy!, First Mate, White Cap

The last (but not least) set is kind of random. But I didn’t really have any other way of showcasing the last of my birthday polishes, since there’s 1 from Sarah,, 2 more from Kirsten, and 1 from Mel. The matte pink from Icing is from Sarah (“Confessions”) is soooo cute. I tried it on my toenails two weeks ago, and it made my toes look like sparkly little plums (yes I know that’s a weird description, but it’s what my weird brain thought of!). Totally adorable! Kirsten also got me OPI “Smoke’n in Havana” and China Glaze “VIII.” Wasn’t interested in Havana, since it’s another orange, but it’s kind of grown on me, since it has a very subtle gold duo-tone, and just a hint of pink. It’ll look good on my toes for the summer, I guess. VII, on the other hand, is totally my kind of colour. It’s such a deep purple it’s almost black, but it’s definitely still a purple. I didn’t remember until a while after she gave it to me, but we had actually had a conversation specifically about this colour where I said I totally loved it. That was MONTHS ago. Yet for some reason Kirsten remembered! The last polish we’ll talk about today was the only polish I actually wanted for my birthday, and it was the last one that I received. “Black Shatter” from OPI! This polish set off a huge trend in the nail polish world, and pretty much everyone I know who’s into polish has it. I’m kind of loathe to actually try it out, since I’m pretty sure I’ll just make a mess, but eventually I’ll have to do it. Yes, I will post pictures…

Tuesday, 19 April 2011

Congrats Mel! 15 was the lucky number, and your bonus entry was number 15! Way to go smartie pants! You have won yourself some free shoes :) Gift card will be in the mail soooooon!

I'm not really surprised at this, since Mel seems to be an irregular fixture on my blog. She was the subject of the inaugural post, and a central feature of the St. Patrick's Day post (along with her ridiculous Irish accent). Maybe I should do a guest post from Mel, since apparently the internet wants her to be a permanent part of my blog :p And it seems the world wants me to give her shoes, since I gave her 3 pairs of shoes already this year (I decided to stop trying to force my feet into them...), and now she's won MORE shoes!

If any of you didn't already know, Mel writes a rather hilarious/strange blog herself called Shit My Brain Says. Mel's brain says some pretty strange/hilarious things, so I encourage you to check it out! Just a warning, it's a little bit geeky :p

That's Mel on the left, when she was on vacation with her family in Mexico.
I picked out that dress and belt for her :)
(and yes, I stole this off her Facebook hehe)

Sorry Taryn, I know you wanted to win, but it was not to be :( Next time maybe! As for everyone else, thanks for entering, and for reading my blog! I'll be doing another giveaway for my one year blog-iversary, and trust me, it's gonna be a good one, so keep your eyes open for it!

Since it IS Rant Tuesday, I should probably complain about something...

Here, I'll complain about the fact that I want more readers! And that I want all my readers to comment on my posts! I like getting feedback on stuff, and I swear I won't be mean (if you promise not to be mean)! I'm really quite surprised sometimes at the lack of talk that is generated by my posts, since I write about some controversial stuff sometimes. So you should all comment!

No idea what to write for Thursday's fashion-themed post, so you might all get something random... I have the new Vogue, so I could always do a review, but that seems too easy. And I don't really feel like writing about Vogue again so soon. Any ideas from the orchestra pit?

Friday, 15 April 2011

Instead of the usual fashion-themed post that I normally write on Thursdays we're going to take a little detour. This obviously isn't because I ran out of fashion-related things to write about, but I got a little bit too busy what with having to move. I moved? You didn't know? Oh. Well, now you do! I'm no longer residing in the fair city of Victoria, and have actually moved back to my hometown (something I said I would never do... famous last words...) for the summer, before I depart across the country for grad school. There were many reasons for making this choice, and those of you who need to know, know why, and it shouldn't really matter to the rest of you. If you really need an explanation, then you may ask, but you might not be happy with the answer, so proceed with caution...

empty living room

empty shoe closet :(

empty bedroom and closet

uhaul, stuffed to the gullett

dad bought a new truck, just for my move :p
(it's a Toyota Tundra!)

my new living arrangement
(until I get everything moved into my actual living space)

Seriously, there aren't that many of you have entered the giveaway contest yet, and you probably should. SHOE GIFT CARD! seriously! GO ENTER NOW! Someone has to give Taryn a bit of competition :p

Tuesday, 12 April 2011

To anyone who knows anything about working where I work (Value Village), they know that it literally was, Hell on Earth. Thankfully enough, I have escaped my tortured existence there, so it’s time to say a not so fond farewell. What made the workplace so intolerable wasn’t the job itself, or the hours, or the co-workers (though obviously some improvement could be made on all fronts). It was in fact the customers who made this place the bane of my existence, and a daily trial by fire. But we’ve already had a rant about how much customers suck (two actually...), so we’re going to aim for something a little bit different today. We’re going to reveal all the things I’ve said to customers that haven’t been exactly “nice,” and even more juicy, the things that I wished I had said to customers. Ironically the things I’ve actually said have been pretty gutsy… Which is why I’ve gotten into a decent amount of trouble over my “attitude at work.” HA. Obviously I have attitude bitches!

Mean Things I’ve Said to Customers…

“Just back off.”

“You’re being really rude right now.”

“No, you actually DO have to hang the clothes up, or you will be asked to leave the fitting rooms.”

“Well obviously you can’t [read], because you can’t seem to follow a simple instruction.” (in reference to the sign at the fitting rooms which read “Please Hang All Unwanted Items Here”).

“The sign right there says that it actually ISN’T my job.” (once again, to the fitting room sign to hang up your stuff).

“Have you SEEN some of the people who shop here?”

“All hardcover fiction is $3.99.” (when asked how much Bibles cost).

“Bitch.”

“You can’t talk to me that way.”

“NO!”

“It says right on the door that it’s the Special Needs fitting room, so you can’t use it.”

“Well, you’re obviously not listening, since I told you three times which fitting room to go in to.”

“Actually, that isn’t my job.”

“No, you can’t have your items wrapped in plastic bags. That’s wasteful. You can have newspaper.”

“It’s against company policy for cashiers to fold clothes. If we fold the clothes, then people think that they are washed, and they are definitely not.”

Mean Things I Wished I had Said…

“The door is right there; feel free to use it.”

“Not being able to read isn’t considered a handicap worthy of using the Special Needs fitting room. Neither is stupidity or laziness”

“Has anyone ever told you to go fuck yourself? Well, I guess there’s a first time for everything!”

“They don’t pay me enough to care/smile.”

God, I love being such a bitch sometimes :) This is by no means a complete and extensive list of the things I've said to customers, but it's all I could remember while I was writing. I'm sure I've said much meaner things, and thought much worse, but this is all you're going to get for now. Have you ever said something on a less than nice note to a customer? Now is the time to confess, since obviously I won't judge you :)

Farewell Value Village, we had some good times, but I’m definitely better off without you in my life!

Only one week left to enter the giveaway kids! Don't forget, or you'll miss out on your chance to win!

Sunday, 10 April 2011

As some of you may know, one of my goals this year was to read the entirety of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien. Yes, this is completely nerdy, but I’m not a closet geek by any means, and this post is proof of that. So far, I’m 3/4s of the way through The Two Towers, and since I read all of The Fellowship of the Ring during the winter I'm well on my way to completing my goal! The plan is to take a break from LotR after this one, possibly with a good dose of something clever and witty by Neil Gaiman. Like Neil is ever anything but :p

yeah, that's right, I wear glasses (sometimes)

Because I’m so into reading The Two Towers I figured I should work that into the blog somehow, and I figured out how: with my favourite pair of gold shoes. Okay, so technically they don’t have the same power as the One Ring, but they’re shiny and gold and they are my preciouses! I could have done a pair of epic questing boots for LotR just as easily (trust me I have the perfect pair), but The Two Towers is more about the One Ring than questing, so you get gold shoes instead. Maybe when I’m reading The Return of the King in a few months the questing boots will make an appearance.

Okay, enough about Lord of the Rings, and onto the shoes. I found this pair of beauties at Value Village, and paid all of $4 for them. I was rather shocked that they were so cheap (even for a thrift store), since they’re in perfect condition (not even the soles are worn!), and they’re actually by Michael Kors. I’m not usually a huge fan of Michael Kors’ designs, since he’s a bit too classic American for my style, but these ballet flats are totally adorable. Seriously, they have a little bow on the front! SO CUTE! They’re also ridiculously comfortable. It actually feels like my feet are surrounded by little cushions, which is a miracle, since most ballet flats tend to err towards the stiff (and therefore uncomfortable) side. I have no idea how the metallic leather is going to hold up over time, but I’m hoping that they keep their colour since I want to covet these shoes like Gollum covets his Precious.

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,

One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them

In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie

yes, that is a copy of the One Ring :)

As always, don’t forget about the giveaway contest! If you win, you can buy your own new pair of Preciouses!

Tuesday, 5 April 2011

I know you were all looking forward to another of my regular Tuesday rants, but you'll just have to settle for something even better :)

To celebrate the fact that I've been writing this blog for 6 months (and because it was my birthday yesterday), I decided to do something extra special for my followers. A GIVEAWAY! I'm going to be randomly selecting one person to receive a giftcard to one of my favourite shoe stores: Aldo! I figured that I should choose a store that catered to women AND men, because there are a few of you guys out there reading (I'm talking about YOU Brad, Dan, and Holland!), and Aldo has some fabulous new shoes for Spring :)

The giveaway will be open to all Followers (international or local, new or loyal readers alike), and will run until April 19th (two weeks from today). I know a bunch of you just creep-read my blog, so it's time to declare your loyalty by actually following it officially :) I will notify the winner by email, and you will have exactly 48 hours to respond or I will choose someone else! If you have any questions, leave a comment and I will get back to you! Good luck to all of you, and a great big thank you for reading <3

Sunday, 3 April 2011

Okay ladies, Spring has officially sprung in Victoria, and it's time to bring out our summer shoe collection. We've had days that have been nice on and off through March, but the good weather doesn't tend to last long enough for us to warrant digging out our sandals. But I have a feeling that after today the good weather shall stay (and it better if I have anything to say about it)!

The pair of sandals that you see below were some of my last shoe purchases before I left Kamloops and came to Victoria for school. I say "some of my last shoe purchases" because when I got these beauties, I also got 3 other pairs of shoes at the same time. There was a good deal on at Payless, okay, so I was totally justified in binge purchasing!

Of all my sandals, these ones have been my go-to pair, since they are not only super comfy, but they can be worn with lots of different outfits. I've worn them with everything from short shorts, to dresses, and everything in between. Hopefully they last for a while yet, since I don't think I'm going to be able to find a pair that is quite so comfy, and still super stylish.

Notice my green pedicure ladies? Don't ever forget to paint your toenails (or at least make sure they aren't all gross and haggard) before wearing sandals. It's almost as bad as wearing a dress and forgetting to shave your legs!